Wildcat Run showed shades of his sire’s debut win on Saturday night when the RUNHAPPY son won at Turfway Park on debut impressively in a Maiden Special Weight– the same place RUNHAPPY broke his maiden impressively eight years ago.
Racing over the same 6 ½ furlongs as his sire, Wildcat Run shared the same fifth place position after the first call as RUNHAPPY but the pair varied from there. The 3-year-old stayed in that position until they hit the turn then Wildcat Cat started to flash his talent when circling the field a few paths outside the leaders.
Though he was green in the stretch and refused to change leads, that didn’t keep the colt from putting in an eye-catching performance with a four-length victory.
Trained by William Coans for Michael Foster, Wildcat Run was bred by Patterson Bloodstock and Patterson and Company out of Cat Dance.
Cat Dance’s three winners from three named foals include the stakes-placed Be Nimble with Cat Dance also a full sister to Grade 1 winning Forest Secrets, who produced Grade 2-placed Forest Command. Cat Dance is also a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Rumor Has It and stakes-placed Bajan Tryst in addition to the dams of six stakes performers.
Wildcat Run’s third dam is the graded stakes winner and successful broodmare Rokeby Rose, who produced dual champion and five-time Grade 1 winner Silverbulletday.
Cat Dance has a 2-year-old full sister to Wildcat Run who sold to Wildcat Racing at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale as well.